About this listing

Located on the historic center town, right alongside the 13th century city walls, our "Casa das Janelas Tortas Guesthouse" is a charming lodge with more than 300 years old, recently refurbished according to old traditions.

In the historic center, the "Casa das janelas tortas" is a charming accommodation in an old building recently renovated. The lodge is across from the walls of The Castle in the center of town, with cafes in the historic old traditional shops, churches, museums, among others. In addition, you can enjoy the magnificent view of the castle walls of Guimarães as the" Palace dos Duques de Bragança" of two quarters. From the accommodation will also have easy access to public transportation. The "Casa das janelas tortas" offers accommodation in two double bedrooms (one with an extra single bed). The rooms have private bathroom. An ideal accommodation for its location (in town) to discover the beauty of the city of Guimarães was chosen in 2012 for the Capital of Culture!. Do not miss the wide variety of cultural events which will take place in this city during the year 2012! You will find this city simply beautiful!

BBC-TRAVEL and Lonely Planet Said: about Guimarães

"Despite being often overshadowed by Oporto, just 30 minutes to the southwest, it makes sense that this year the committee selected the burgeoning cultural scene of Guimarães in northern Portugal. With around half of its inhabitants under age 30, Guimarães is one of Europe’s youngest cities, both in age and spirit. A boom of contemporary culture in recent years has revived its medieval streetscapes, a World Heritage Site since 2001.

Now the year-long European Capital of Culture program is set to bring even more life to Guimarães. The rich repertoire of events ranges from music, cinema and photography to fine arts, theatre and dance. More importantly, a crop of new openings, sparked and partly financed by the program, is about to give a further boost to the city’s cultural landscape.
Centro Cultural Vila Flor (CCVF) kick-started the city’s cultural revival when it opened in 2005 in a striking modern building added onto a converted 18th-century palace. Events at this culture powerhouse include movie screenings, cafe concerts, theatre and art exhibits. This year, as part of the European Capital of Culture program, CCVF will present the second edition of GUIdance (1 to 11 February), an international dance festival showcasing major contemporary dance companies such as Belgium’s les Ballets C de la B, who are slated to open the festival with the world premiere of their new work, Au-delà.

The Center for Art and Architecture Affairs, unveiled in October 2011 in a former textile factory, is the latest opening in Guimarães. The non-profit collective promotes interaction between various fields of creative expression, including visual arts, design, film, literature, media, performing arts and architecture. Upcoming events on the European Capital of Culture program include a conference focused on the work of John Cage (10 March to 28 April) and Frame Art, a video art and experimental cinema festival (3 May to 8 July).

Plus there is more in the pipeline. Opening in March in a run-down part of town called Couros (named after the area’s once flourishing leather industry) is the Design Institute, a partnership between the municipality, the University of Minho and Portugal’s National Design Association. Its inaugural exhibit, part of the European Capital of Culture program, will focus on product design, specifically the relationship between traditional products and contemporary design.

Another notable opening this year, scheduled for June, is the Platform of Arts and Creativity in a former market, a multipurpose space dedicated to arts and various creative endeavours. It kicks off with an exhibition by Portuguese painter José de Guimarães, with pieces from his private collection of pre-Colombian, African and Chinese art.
The same month will see the opening of the House of Memory, located in an old plastic factory right next door to the Platform. This cultural institution will host an interactive display composed of memory-laden personal items donated by the people of Guimarães. It is designed to tell and preserve the history of the common people, an admirable effort in this world that forgets and changes so quickly."

Guest Access

Our rooms are generously big, as tradition demands, and decorated classic and cosy, in a silent and relaxing atmosphere, where you will be able to rest after a day of passionate walking through the medieval town.
From the Green Room balcony or the Red Room windows, you can enjoy the magnificent view of the old castle (built on the 10th century and from where our first king Afonso Henriques started the expansion) as well as the "Paço dos Duques", a unique palace of this kind of architecture in the whole Iberia, built on the 15th century.
These two rooms, Green (double) and Red (triple) have private bathrooms and free WIFI.

The Neighborhood

In a 10 minutes walking radius you will be able to discover a surprising lovely town through the old time-worn granite streets and alleys, with secular buildings, castles and palaces, monasteries and churches, as well as typical cafes and shops, museums, cable car, amazing plazas amongst many other interesting spots.
You can also find a big variety of restaurants and bars, bakeries, supermarkets, hairdressers, shopping malls, pharmacies and even a central hospital.

Guimarães offers you a wide range of all year round cultural spots and events, some of them international. It was not by chance that it was chosen as European Capital of Culture in 2012!

Transportation issues are no problem here; train station and bus connecting Guimarães to the main cities around and an international airport, taxis and local buses and rent-a-car/rent-a-bike.

In the outskirts of Guimarães, in a 15 km radius, you will also be able to find well preserved archeological remains of millennial thorps, golf courses, cars and karts circuits, football stadiums (portuguese premier league) and a diverse and captivating wild nature.

Getting Around

Come, we are waiting for you! You will find this little town simply beautiful!

Other Things to Note

Come, we are waiting for you! You will find this little town simply beautiful!

Smoking
This is a smoking free establishment. Smoking is not allowed inside the house.
If you are a smoker and you feel the urge to have a smoke, please do it at outside areas.
- Noise
The schedule for the "Silent mode" is from 22.00h - 08.00h. During that time we kindly ask to observe maximum silence as possible, as it is likely that someone is already sleeping or relaxing. Nevertheless, outside that period, we suggest that you have the consideration that other guests may be relaxing for some reason. In another words, common sense should rule.
The water takes around 20-30 minutes to get hot again so have that in mind, specially in the morning and at the end of the day, when other guests may want to wash too. The water heater has capacity for up to 4-5 persons to bath for a reasonable time. If you feel the need of a longer bath, please try to do it outside peak periods. Nevertheless please note that water is a precious good, so try to save as much as you can.

35 Reviews

Xana and her husband were very welcoming!! It was a pleasure to meet them!! They made us feel really comfortable as soon as they show us the apartment!! They help us to get around the charming city of Guimaraes and the accommodation Is perfectly located, we could go everywhere by foot!
Greatly recommended!!

Everything has been ok, the room was big and clean and near to the very center of Guimaraes (5 minutes on feet). The host has been kind and suggested beautiful places to see. I recommend this place to all Airbnb users!

Xana was a wonderful host! We had a warm welcome and got lots of tips for good restaurants and other local highlights. We did not stay in this apartment, but we stayed somewhere else (which was due to our late reservation - her flexibility is amazing!), but I do know that the location of this apartment is amazing.

Xana's house is beautifully decorated and furnished and a very romantic place to stay the night. Located in the center of town.Xana gave us a warm welcome and several advices for a visit of the wonderful Guimaraes. Xana tipped us on a great great restaurant. Definitely recommended!

Xana and her family were truly wonderful hosts. Very welcoming and helpful, and absolutely made us feel as though we were welcome in her home. Great, down-to-Earth people. Her recommendations as to places to eat, and sights to see were also spot on ! If we return to Guimaraes, we would most definitely love to stay with Xana again.

About the Host, Xana

We are a family with two twins boys 14 years old (Miguel and Rafael)
We like having people in our house
We have a lot of times ERASMUS students, living with us for a few mouths
We live in the ground floor.
The first and second floor is our guesthouse.
We enjoy traveling, theater, cinema, sports, reading, and we are very happy!
Our house is a medieval house, with more than 300 years old.
Wood floor, recovered antique furniture, with new elements, nice and cozy ambient.
we have a restaurante, a tapas and fondue restaurante!!!!!Kitsch bistro!!!!